Rutgers' Jabu Lovelace settling in nicely to his Wildcat role

John Munson/The Star-LedgerJabu Lovelace runs for yards during Rutgers' game against Florida International on Sept. 19.

Jabu Lovelace never knows when the tap on his shoulder pads is coming.

A week ago at Maryland, it happened because quarterback Dom Natale was knocked woozy for a couple of plays. More often it's by design -- though Lovelace is never really sure when the opportunity will come.

Welcome to the world of a Wildcat specialist.

"You never really know when you're going to be called. You've just got to be ready," said Lovelace, a fifth-year senior who also serves as Rutgers' third-string quarterback.

Lovelace, who missed spring practice after undergoing a second ankle surgery last off-season, looked to be part of a gimmick whose time had passed after an ineffective debut in his specialized role in the Knights' 47-15 opening game loss to Cincinnati. He had three carries for minus-two yards and was 0-for-1 passing that game. When he didn't play at all the next week against Howard, it was easy to wonder if Rutgers had decided to scrap the Wildcat.

But as the Knights (3-1) head into a bye this weekend, Lovelace is back as an integral part of the offense -- though it's hard to say whether the decision to continue to use him was by design or the result of his increased production.

The 6-2, 215-pounder from Teaneck had three carries for 34 yards against Florida International (with a long run of 23 yards) and followed that up with six carries for 24 yards against Maryland -- all out of the Wildcat formation.

For the season, Lovelace has 56 yards on 12 carries, a 4.7-yard average.

So he is providing the change of pace look that head coach Greg Schiano was looking for all along.

"I wasn't frustrated. We just kept grinding," Lovelace said. "You've just got to keep working at it. You never know what's going to happen. If you keep working hard and you execute, success is going to come. So I kept working hard."

Though the Wildcat has become all the rage in college football, the surprise element -- teams can switch to it at a moment's notice -- still fuels its success. No one is more surprised than Lovelace, who is never sure where or when he may be called upon to go in.

"You've got to stay on your toes," he said. "You've got to watch the defense and understand what they're doing so that you are ready when you do go in."

With Lovelace, there's also the added dimension of the pass, something that most Wildcat formations don't offer. He is, after all, a quarterback running the special package. He has even attempted a pass already this season. So it's something else the defense has to be aware of.

"What they're thinking of worrying about, I don't know," he said. "That's up to them."

What Rutgers is thinking is clear: Lovelace has become an effective option on an offense that can use all the help it can get.